How to Motivate Kids to Invite Their Friends
So many times, at Christmas and Easter, my church pushes for the congregation to invite their friends to church. Being in NextGen ministries, I wanted to participate and challenge my students to do the same. However, I knew that giving them a stack of invite cards is not going to be enough.
5 Must Have Security Policies For Kidmin
One of the three questions parents ask about your children’s ministry is “is it safe?” Now, more than ever before, parents want to know that their precious little ones will be safe in your care. Even more important, your environment needs to be one of the safest places in your church.
The 3 Lowest Attended Sundays (and What To Do About Them)
This post is coming out Thanksgiving weekend, and for most churches that means we’re heading into one of the lowest attended Sundays in the year. These days can be frustrating and disappointing. You put as much time and effort into making the day great and then it feels like no one but your most faithful show up. Even then, some of them didn’t come either.
6 Essential Steps for Onboarding Volunteers
There is one group of people that churches cannot survive without. They are faithful, dedicated to the vision, and serve others. I’m talking, of course, about volunteers. If you have a great volunteer culture, life can be so much easier.
3 Wednesday Night Ideas for Christmas
The Wednesday Night services in December are odd. Everyone is busy, overall attendance is low, and you have pressure to celebrate the season. No matter where you serve in your church, with a little creativity and planning, you can make these nights fun, meaningful and outward focused.
4 Principles to Get Guests to Come Back
You’ve had the big outreach event and now you have a huge stack of cards with contact information and you’re not sure what to do with it. Should you email them? Send a postcard? Call? Which way will be most effective? What’s going to give you the best return on your investment?
3 Questions to Guide Your Discipline Conversations
I’ve written about my discipline plan before. And today I want to go further and talk about what happens when the consequences go into effect. As pastors, it’s our job to help them through it, to love and care for them as much as the kid who never causes problems.
4 Simple Ways to Improve Kids Check-in
When guests first come to your church, they are going to make the decision of whether or not they’re going to come back in the first 15 minutes of being on your campus. Since those first few minutes are so crucial, you need to be more intentional with those first few minutes than any other.
7 Ways to Communicate Your Church Event to Your Congregation and Community (Part 2)
You’ve got big news. You’ve been working on this project for weeks and its finally time to make your big debut. You have all the supplies and resources. You’ve prayed and felt that God is with you. Now it’s time to announce to the church and your community what you’re doing and how they can get involved. But how do you do that?
7 Ways to Communicate Your Church Event to Your Congregation and Community (Part 1)
One of the most valuable tools in a minister’s toolbox is their communication skills. We’re in the people business and how we communicate with people is vital to us completing the Great Commission. But how do you do that exactly? How do you make sure that your message is getting out there? How do you make sure that you’re not just spitting into the wind?
3 Steps to Move First-Time Guests to Regular Attenders
If you’re in a church that wants to grow, then a frequent conversation around this office is how many guests came to your service or event. If you think about it, everyone who attends your church now was a first-time guest at some point.
But what is the process to get them there?
3 Ways Your Calendar Can Help You Reach Your Next Level in Ministry
There are a lot of tools we can use in ministry. There’s our church management system, our curriculum, our events. Each one helps us serve our communities and reach more for Christ every year. However, I think there is one tool that is invaluable for your ministry. One tool that if used correctly can extend your reach and find that elusive work-life balance we’re all looking for.
What is that tool?
How to Motivate Kids in NextGen Without Leaving Anyone Behind
These two stories and several more helped me develop my philosophy on motivating kids in ministry. The way I see it, there are three ways to encourage them to bring their friends, offering, Bibles, memorize scripture, or whatever.
4 Next Level Ideas for Your Fall Festival
Now that summer is out of the way, it’s time to start looking toward the fall. And in church world that frequently means you’re doing some kind of fall festival. These events are great for bringing guests to your church campus, while also serving the community.
3 Must Haves for Your Kidmin Area
Picture this, you’re given free reign to create your perfect Kidmin space. Whatever theme for décor? You get to do it. However many classrooms? You can have them. Whatever kind of seating? Here you go.
Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?
Teaching Kids to Pray Effectively
Would you say your prayers are effective?
You’re not alone if you feel inadequate. The disciples did too when they came to Jesus in Matthew 6 and asked him to teach them how to pray. They’d been praying their entire lives but saw that Jesus’ prayers were far more effective, and so they wanted a taste of that.
Branded House vs House of Brands: Which is Right for Your Ministry?
What’s the name of your ministry? Is it fun? Is it easy to understand? Does it have a battle reference in it?
Church ministry names are as creative as there are people. We love to name things, but a lot of times when we name them, we don’t answer the essential question.
5 Sources for Finding Ideas for Your Ministry
The thing is you were never meant to do ministry alone. We need other people for creativity, innovation, and support. The best part of the age that we live in now is that we don’t have to meet these people face to face to be a part of the community. There are many sources we can turn to get help, support, coaching, and so much more that will help take your ministry to the next level.
4 Types of Work in NextGen Ministry
The dirty secret of children’s ministry, specifically, and NextGen ministry in general is that very little of your time as a pastor is spent ministering to that age group. In reality, you will spend 1-3 hours a week actually leading them, while the other 40+ hours are spent doing other things.
How to Lead When You're not in Charge
In a previous post, I said there are three groups every NextGen pastor leads. However, there is a fourth group you lead and interact with every day.
That’s the other people on the church staff.
No matter where you serve, you are not a ministry unto yourself.
These schedule templates will help you plan your VBS with multiple stations and different times.